King Jared looked at Emmelyn with interest. He knew his wife had met Emmelyn during tea, but Queen Elara refused to tell him anything about the girl, other than 'You will like her. She is pretty and charming.'

He always believed his wife's words, but now, he could see for himself that Emmelyn was really beautiful.

No wonder his son seemed so smitten by this girl. And, oh... Mars said he could touch this girl, right? And they already had sex?

That's even better!

Then... he could really feel relieved because finally, his son could have a normal life. Mars had been deprived of that connection and intimacy that only women could provide since his son was a straight man.

Luckily, Mars had his cousins and good friends, otherwise, his life would have been really lonely.

"Welcome, Lady Emmelyn," King Jared also rose from his seat and approached Emmelyn after Queen Elara released the girl from her embrace.

For a few seconds, they stood facing each other in silence. Emmelyn curtseyed again and lowered her face.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," she said with a low voice.

Her attitude made King Jared think Emmelyn was a meek girl and he was quite happy about it. A meek girl would be good for his son. She would be a good wife and devoted to their family.

"Are you satisfied with how my son treats you?" The king asked, glancing at his son.

Emmelyn nodded. "His Highness is really good to me, Your Majesty."

She wasn't lying. She felt grateful that the man was treating her well and provided everything she would ever need.

She also knew tonight was such an important event for the prince since it was his birthday. Emmelyn wouldn't do anything to ruin it. She would be a good girl and stand this king until the end of the ball.

Meanwhile, Mars was amazed at how good was Emmelyn tonight. He didn't expect her to put on her best behavior before the king.

She was not trying to make them lower their guard down before she tried to kill the king, right?

Mars had checked her dress earlier and didn't find anything suspicious. She didn't even carry her knife.

[Gosh, I shouldn't overthink.] He massaged his temple.

He cast his gaze around them and saw 10 king's guards, all standing near the king, ready to protect him from any attacks. They were all formidable knights with decades of experience.

Mars knew Emmelyn was smart. There was no way she would try to kill the king here and now. It would be a tragic failure and Emmelyn was smarter than that.

"Father and mother... Emmelyn and I have wonderful news for you two," Mars decided to share the happy news to his parents, to break the ice between them. He took Emmelyn by the hand.

"Yes?" The queen's eyes went round. Her chest was suddenly palpitating. She looked at Emmelyn and Mars alternately, trying to guess the news. She didn't want to keep her hopes up, but deep inside she prayed that Emmelyn was pregnant. "Do tell, son."

Mars cleared his throat and smiled broadly as he gave them the news. "Emmelyn is pregnant. Doctor Vitas has confirmed it a few days ago. I am going to be a father."

"Oh my God!" Queen Elara pressed her lips in shock. She did hope Emmelyn was pregnant, but she still couldn't believe her hearing when she heard it.

After so many misfortunes within their family and her own children, Queen Elara had learned not to expect too much.

King Jared was visibly emotional too. The man trembled and he opened his mouth, trying to say something, but nothing came out of his lips.

Now, the people around them, who were able to see the king and queen's expression but unable to hear their conversation, could only guess what was going on.

They suspected the girl who came with the prince was really his date and maybe future wife? And it seemed the monarchs were happy that their son finally anchored his heart to a woman.

There might be wedding bells soon and the kingdom would finally see new heirs being born into the Strongmoor family.

"Congratulations, I am so happy for you," Queen Elara hugged Emmelyn again and rub her back. King Jared smiled and patted his son on the shoulder. He was still unable to utter any words for a few moments.

"This is good news," The king finally found his voice. He was visibly moved by the news. King Jared smiled broadly when he spoke. "I have been waiting for this day to come."

He had been waiting for the day when the witch was wrong. That his son could finally be happy.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Mars was happy to see his parents' reaction. It was as expected.

"We should throw a wedding soon." The king became excited. He didn't know much about Emmelyn, other than she came from Glendale and she was not of noble birth. That wasn't an issue for the king, though.

His own wife was a commoner when they met, and she had adjusted to her role as the queen really well. King Jared was sure that with proper training, Emmelyn could also become a good queen in the future.

A wedding would be nice. Maybe next week, before the snow fell. The prince and his wife would welcome their baby in summer. It would be perfect!

Queen Elara turned to her son and asked him with her eyes, what the prince planned to do with Emmelyn. Would it be possible for them to have a wedding?

Mars glanced at Emmelyn and saw her side profile looking intense. She clenched her jaws and turned stiff at the mention of a wedding.

Mars knew, she still had not come around. It must be such a struggle just to put up a straight face and not go berserk in front of the king, who was responsible for her family's demise.

Having that understanding about her, Mars decided he didn't want to add pressure to her already tense mind.

The crown prince held Emmelyn's hand and forced himself to utter the lies that Emmelyn asked him to say. "Ahh, I don't think I need to settle down so quickly, Father. We don't know yet if the baby will survive or not. I don't want to be tied down before I can be sure that I will really get my heirs."

"What do you mean?" King Jared didn't understand how his son's mind worked. "Isn't it obvious that she is the only woman that you can touch and she is carrying your child? Your only chance of getting children is from her."

"What I mean is, if I am still cursed and the curse is passed down to my offspring, then the baby will not survive. I will take it as a sign that I should give up on the idea of having children. We should find a way to ensure the throne's succession. If the baby is cursed too, I don't think it's fair to bind Lady Emmelyn to me and make her suffer with me for the rest of her life."

Queen Elara gripped her dress and her face turned sad when she heard Mars' words. It was very true, and she could understand why.

She had to mourn for years and was filled with deep grief because she had to witness all her other children die young.

It was a living hell and she wouldn't wish it for her worst enemy. Especially not for such a sweet girl like Emmelyn.

"Our son is right," the queen tugged on her husband's shirt and pleaded with her eyes. "We shouldn't bind Lady Emmelyn like that... until we are very sure..."

"I see..." The king finally nodded.